New Middle
School Will Reduce Classroom Crowding and Bring Better Educational
Opportunities and Open Green Spaces to the Heart of Neglected Neighborhood

EPA Assessment Grant Helps Pave the Way for New Lowell
School
Success in EPA Brownfields Assessment Grant Program
Lowell, MA
(December 3, 2003)Contacts

Artist's
Rendition of New School

When the Kathryn “Kay” Stoklosa Middle School is completed
it will become an anchor for urban revitalization in one of Lowell’s
oldest and most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The public
middle school will help reduce crowding in Lowell classrooms and
provide children and their families with open space that is so limited
in the urban Acre neighborhood. Through the help of a US EPA Brownfields
Assessment Grant and following the efforts of state and local organizations,
local residents, and area community groups, the site of the new
school has been assessed, remediation efforts are gearing up, and
the school is projected to swing its doors open to its expected
660 student body as early as August 2005.

The School will be located in the Acre neighborhood. Known for
it historically heavy immigrant and minority population, this oldest
of Lowell neighborhoods was settled by Irish immigrants who labored
in nearby factories and helped build canals. The Irish built a strong
industrial foundations for the neighborhood. Later immigrants included
people of Greek, Hispanic, and Asian descent. This downtown neighborhood
quickly became overpopulated, and living conditions began to deteriorate
as buildings began to fall into disrepair. Conditions declined until
the 1970's and remained static and deplorable until local officials
began plans for the Acre Urban Revitalization and Development Plan
in 1992.

With a population of 103,000, Lowell, is the fourth largest city
in Massachusetts. Just 25 miles from Boston, the city has a rich
industrial and cultural history. The largest employer in the city
is industrial manufacturers, followed by jobs related to education.
According to the 2000 US Census, almost 17% of the population lives
below the poverty level. 14% of the population is of Asian ancestry
and 11% is Hispanic.

The Acre Urban Revitalization and Development Plan will transform
a majority of the 600 acre neighborhood and will be anchored by
the Stoklosa Middle School. The plan is expected to transfigure
about 113 acres at the bustling heart of the city, including the
almost 6 acres that the middle school will blanket. This effort
encompasses dozens of abandoned and underused properties, light
industrial facilities, failed or failing businesses, small housing
complexes, and thousands of square feet of above and underground
environmental contamination.

The first step taken in the creation of the Stoklosa Middle School
was to discover what environmental contaminants lurked under the
dozens of dilapidated buildings in the Acre. The US EPA Assessment
Grant helped fund a Phase II site investigation that was conducted
by local environmental contractor, TRC. The site assessment found
concentrations of arsenic, cyanide, lead, and PAHs in low-depth
soil samples. Concentrations of arsenic, cyanide, volatile organic
compounds, and PAHs were also found in ground water samples. All
level of contamination were below required levels.

Armed with site assessment information, the city now has the tools
to begin plans for environmental remediation on the property that
will make it safe for future students and the environment once again.
Remediation efforts will include the removal of thousands of pounds
of contaminated soil, the capping and improvement or demolition
and debris removal of existing buildings, and extensive paving.

EPA Brownfields funds were also spread to other aspects of the
middle school’s development. EPA funds were used to facilitate
several community outreach programs, including the creation of fact
sheets, public meetings with officials and the community, the creation
of a website and public document repository for site redevelopment,
and translation services for the many non-English speaking residents
of the neighborhood.

The Kathryn Stoklosa Middle School is bound on the north by Broadway,
on the south by Rock Street, on the west by School Street, and on
the east by Mt. Vernon Street. The school will sit on 5.83 acres
of land and will house a main building that will provide quality
public education to 660 students and bring over 1.7 acres of reclaimed
green space in the form of active recreation areas like basketball
courts and a soccer field, to students and their families. The school
will reduce the growing problem of overcrowding in Lowell public
schools and improve educational opportunities for the city’s
children. The school will create or retain an estimated 75 permanent
jobs and will become the focus of the Acre Urban Revitalization
Plan.

The middle school project is the result of years of diligent community,
local, and state planning. The key component of the Acre Urban Revitalization
and Development plan was the Citizens Advisory Committee, comprised
of active members of the urban community, who represented local
residents, local businesses and institutions, local community organizations,
the National Park Service, and a number of city agencies. Various
presentations were given by various community groups to be sure
that each community voice was heard during the redevelopment preparations.
Groups included: The Coalition for a Better Acre Task Force, the
Acre Neighbors Group, business owners in the project area, and the
Lowell Planning Board. Also, two City Council meeting were held
on the topic and televised on Local Access Cable.

The school, projected to be completed in the summer of 2005, will
bring a vibrant change to a neighborhood plagued by disrepair and
economic hardship for generations.

Special thanks to Colin McNiece and Stephen Crane of the City of
Lowell Division of Planning and Development for all the information
they provided for this story.